Kakadu Day 2

So to continue from yesterday...

We woke up around 6:30 with the birds and had a light breakfast around the fire. We then headed on a 4WD road for about 45 minutes to Twin Falls, which was not exactly a pleasant experience. There was a lot of bumping and jarring and a point where we drove the vehicle through a river.

We were told that if your car or truck breaks down in a river, you have to climb out onto the roof until someone comes along who can help you out. This is because it is dangerous to go into the water due to the crocodiles. Sounds like fun.

Finally we made it to Twin Falls, and after a short hike we were at the plunge pool. The rock walls rose up all around us and the falls were actually running. It was an amazing area, and we spent a good amount of time just hanging around.


Afterward, we headed back to camp to pick up our stuff and drove to an area with Aboriginal rock art. The art there has been dated at about 60,000 years old, which is just incredible. While we were there we also saw a frilled lizard, which was awesome, and a black wallaroo with her joey. This was an incredible sighting because these animals are very rare and shy.



We stopped for lunch at a billabong, filled with all sorts of incredible waterbirds and a fantastic assortment of flies. It was so hot that when we sliced the cheese for the sandwiches, it actually started melting into the plates. The birdlife was wonderful, though, and we saw a Jabiru, which is a gigantic stork that towered over the other birds.

Afterwards it was time to return to Darwin. On our way back we stopped to see one of the termite mounds that were all over the place up close. These things were incredibly tall (over 12 feet) and are aligned with magnetic North. They also have air conditioning! The termites create an opening in the bottom and one in the top of the mound to create cross-circulation of air that keeps the mound a nice cool temperature. Their building materials include poop and spit, though, so how advanced can they really be?



When we got back to Darwin, we didn't quite want to part ways just yet, so our group decided to meet for dinner at a bar in town. I didn't eat or drink anything, because it was after sundown, but we had a great time anyway. The bar had lots of games going on, including limbo and paper airplane races, which were a lot of fun. Our guide even joined us for a little bit. After the bar we went out for ice cream and exchanged e-mails. I am so glad that I was with a good, fun group.

So this brings us to yesterday, where I essentially just sat by the pool and got weird sunburns on my knees. Yesterday evening I went to the Deckchair Cinema, an open-air movie theatre on the water. They set up lounge chairs that are exceedingly comfortable and have a bar selling beer, wine, soda, salads, and curries, and many people bring their own picnics. The screen is the same size as in a normal theatre, and the weather is just perfect at night. The moon and the stars were shining, there were fireflies, and you could see the silhouettes of the flying foxes and they crossed overhead. I really enjoyed myself and even found my way back to the hostel.

Today I plan to go to the Mindil Beach sunset market, and tomorrow I am off to Alice Springs. I have less than a week of vacation left, and then it's back to school :(